This invention relates to recording and playback of multi-channel digital audio having different resolutions for different channels and concerns digital recording media generally like digital versatile discs. More particularly, this invention concerns such recording media that primarily contain audio information.
Commonly assigned McPherson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,022 and Thagard et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,737 are incorporated herein by reference.
Digital versatile discs (“DVDs”) are two-sided high-density digital information recording media approximately the size of standard compact discs (“CDs”). Digital versatile discs are capable of holding approximately 4.7 gigabytes of data per side. Their large storage capacity and small size make DVDs attractive for replacing videocassette tapes for use in home video systems.
DVDs support the Moving Picture Experts Group (“MPEG”) MPEG-2 digital video standard. DVDs are also capable of handling Dolby's AC-3 multichannel audio format or, alternatively, an uncompressed pulse code modulation (“PCM”) encoded dual-channel format.
However, because standard DVDs are directed primarily toward supporting the storage and display of video content, standard DVDs are not particularly well suited for supporting content that is primarily audio, especially enhanced audio, such as six-channel audio, including sampling at rates that are higher than those that have been conventionally used.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for recording that use DVD-type technology but that are better adapted for handling content that is primarily audio.